Gastro Bypass Surgery

Has anyone here who has fibro had the gastro bypass surgery? I know they have a minimum you have to weigh, which I don't but I have about 75 lbs that I would love to come off. All of the weight is mostly in my legs and really effects my knees. I go to water aerobics but it does not come off unless I drink nothing but water and cut so far back on my portions (and I do not eat large portions). I just want to hear feedback on this...

I had the gastric bi-pass surgery in April of 2004. I was 318 pounds and had several of the co-morbidities that are required to have the surgery. I have lost about 120 pounds and have about 40 more to reach my goal weight.

I'm happy with the surgery, despite a couple of complications, but in a flare-up, it's very difficult for me to exercise which I need to do to continue to do. After you've lost the first 100 the rest is tougher to get off so exercise is imperative.

I am in the middle of the worse flare-up I've ever experienced in my life. I'm basically crippled with pain and am now on 75mg morphine patches for pain. I thought the weightloss would help my FMS..it hasn't. My OA has also gotten worse.

Of course I am 52 years old and not getting any younger, but I'm really learning the hard way how horrid this DD is.

I also have to have shoulder surgery soon, knee surgery, and I have two hernias that need to be re-repaired.

My other co-morbidities are better. No high blood pressure, no diabetes, no acid reflux, etc. It was the best and scariest decision I've ever made in my life, but little did I know that the FMS/OA would be waiting in the wings...stalking me.

Anyhoo...there's a wonderful website for people who are obese and/or looking at surgery. There are over 500,000 members. It's called Obesityhelp.com.

By their standards, I should have bypass, but being a disabled Nurse Anesthetist, NO WAY.

The Banding results in slower weight loss, but DOESN'T REQUIRE THE STOMACH CUTTING AND THE COMPLICATION RATE IS 10% OF THAT OF THE BYPASS.

In Europe, they do the banding, and when the weight loss plateaus, they remove it and do a less radical form of the bypass, so the weight can all be lost and sustained without vitamin deficiencies and dumping syndrome and there is a far less complication rate.

That is what I plan to do.

The banding is easier technically and fewer complications happen, especially when very overweight, in the hands of a VERY SKILLED, VERY EXPERIENCED SURGEON, AND THAT IS THE KEY.

Then, after the weight loss from that, the other procedure is easier and safer.

My bmi is 38.35403044663001...just under 40..I weigh 230 lbs and have been on soooo many diets. I wonder if insurance would cover if the doc deems it helpful... I have Gerd, Reflux....because of it... I have a Doctors appointment tommorow so I will ask him.

I don't know for a fact if this is true or not but I’ve been told by my lawyer and a doc that my FM was caused by a recent abdominal surgery that I had for diverticulitis(they removed 12" of my sigmoid colon) complicated by the flu which I had 3 months after the surgery. They say FM usually shows up after some type of trauma to the body and that if you already have FM that it could in fact make your condition worse. So I would say consider all of the other options before proceeding with any type of surgery.